Date: 4/27/05

XP Awarded: 875 (to 7th level characters), 750 (to 8th level characters)

Start: The edges of a bog in the Evermoors, mid-Eleasis

Celowin cleans off the bow Fei found in the bog, puts a new bowstring on it, and fires a test shot at a rock Theodar throws in the air. To everyone’s surprise, the arrow changes into a silvery bolt of force that blows apart the rock in mid-air.

Iax leads the party to the north, where the map shows something called the greenstone ruins. After a half-day’s journey through rolling fields of tallgrass, the party comes across a green-tinged plateau dotted with the mostly-buried ruins of structures built of green stone. Fei and Iax spend some time looking around, but find nothing of interest, and the party heads off northwest towards a location on the map marked as the Screaming Cairn. After a few hours of travel, the sun is low in the sky, and Iax finds a large cave to hole up in overnight. Though the place stinks of troll, all signs point to the fact that the trolls that once lived in it are gone. As the party prepares to make camp, Iax hears something moving about outside, but after a thorough search of the area, nothing is found, and the party settles in for the night.

Around midnight, Celowin hears something moving around outside again, and wakes up the other party members. Iax leaves the cave to explore the nearby area, and steps in a hidden pile of surface rothe droppings. Fei and Celowin hear a giggling and suspect fey, so Fei becomes invisible and starts looking around the area. He finds a small reddish-brown dragon-like creature with a long, barbed tail that seems playful. Once the rest of the party discovers what is going on, they return to the cave, but the pseudodragon follows Fei inside and stays with him throughout the night.

The next morning dawns cool and cloudy, with a mist cloaking the landscape. Fei takes several hours to use magic to identify some of the items the party has found. The bow found in the bog turns out to be Delimbiyra’s Shining Bow, an elven weapon of some power.

Afterwards, the party sets off through a landscape pocked with bogs and swampy areas, but is able to detour around any unpleasant slogging. Before noon the party reaches a foggy dell containing a large pile of stacked boulders that seems to be the source of an unnatural feeling in the area. The horses are spooked, and everyone feels the hair on the back of their neck standing on end. Theodar detects sources of evil within the cairn, but the group decides that their mission lies elsewhere, and leaves the creepy place behind.

The landscape shifts to gently rolling hills, but the fog thickens. As Iax leads the group, a massive shape looms in the mists, and the ground shakes as an enormous giant with milk-white skin and silver hair thunders towards the party. It carries a gargantuan polished bone of some creature, and uses it to knock Iax back several yards when he tries to enter melee combat with the giant. Theodar has better luck using his lance to jab the giant from a distance, and a hail of arrows from Celowin’s new bow. Fei’s magic proves decisive to win the battle, speeding the warriors and cloaking Iax in invisibility, allowing him to close with the giant and land a heavy blow. The giant spins, looking for a dwarf between his feet, allowing Theodar to get within sword range of the creature, and his attacks badly wound the giant. Another volley of arrows from Celowin tear into the brute, bringing it crashing down almost on top of Iax, who dodges aside at the last minute. The group finds that the giant was carrying a bag with a large, half-eaten humanoid leg that looks like it may have come from an ogre or a hill giant. Also in the bag are a suit of dwarven plate, a crossbow, and a magical pick made of stone.

As the sun sinks lower on the horizon, Celowin spies an elf near to the party, down in a stream gully. He calls out and a moon elf ranger appears and approaches. Giving his name as Erenessym, he pulls Celowin aside to speak with him. He speaks of evil alliances among the dwarves and giants, of a split in the Harpers where a group led by Khelben Blackstaff of Waterdeep has allied itself with the Zhentarim, and of the large numbers of gold elves passing through Everlund. He warns Celowin not to trust Fei, that he is a spy from Evermeet who is here to infiltrate the High Forest. He is also able to give the group some good advice on the giants in the area and some of the nearby features in the Evermoors, including a tip that he saw the tracks of a mounted party to the north of the group’s current location. He leaves before the rest of the party can speak with him, but the adventurers decide to head north to find the tracks of which he spoke.